# Coming soon to a car near you... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coming-soon-to-a-car-near-you/154695 "2003-02-12T23:21:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coming-soon-to-a-car-near-you/154695/1 "2003-02-12T23:21:56Z")
Something interesting came into the materials testing lab where I work today. If you have a late-model car, you probably have a remote control that locks/unlocks the doors, and maybe opens the trunk. What came into the lab are a bunch of keys that have the remote integrated into the key’s head. Instead of having a separate remote on a little keychain, you’d just push a button on the key itself to unlock your doors. They look pretty cool, but they’re kinda bulky. These are labeled for Dodge, but I’m sure that everyone will have them soon. What do you think? Good idea or not? ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coming-soon-to-a-car-near-you/154695/2 "2003-02-12T23:40:39Z")
My Commodore has one of those - it’s a 1996 model. The top of the key is a large black plastic thing with buttons to unlock and lock the doors. They key also contains some sort of micro computer thing which talks to the engine immobiliser. It’s bitch when the thing breaks though, the new key is expensive and has to be programmed to talk to the car’s computer. ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coming-soon-to-a-car-near-you/154695/3 "2003-02-12T23:41:52Z")
Doh - forgot to say I like it as in theory it helps to reduce car theft (all that fancy computer immobiliser stuff). And its one thing on the key chain instead of two. ---
**Author:** ![bradwalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@bradwalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bradwalt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coming-soon-to-a-car-near-you/154695/4 "2003-02-13T00:17:58Z")
Why do we need the actual keys anymore? Why not have a button on the remote that starts the engine? ---
**Author:** ![Khadro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Khadro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadro)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coming-soon-to-a-car-near-you/154695/5 "2003-02-13T01:02:03Z")
Doesn’t one of the European models have a keyless start? Renault rings a bell, and I think that it has a security card you put in a slot (about the size of a credit card) and you just push a button. I saw an ad for a car in a magazine somewhere, and they mentioned it. I know no more about it than that, sorry. \ leechbabe, did you know that turning the key backwards in the door lock acts as a deadlock? Even if they break the windows, they still cannot unlock any of the doors, and the immobilizer will stay on as well. If you lose your keys though, you are totally screwed. \ ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coming-soon-to-a-car-near-you/154695/6 "2003-02-13T01:15:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Khadro \* > \*\*\ > leechbabe, did you know that turning the key backwards in the door lock acts as a deadlock? Even if they break the windows, they still cannot unlock any of the doors, and the immobilizer will stay on as well. If you lose your keys though, you are totally screwed.\ \*\* Know about that one **Khadro** my husband has a habit of always deadlocking the car, sadly he also has a habit of misplacing his keys. :smack: Makes life fun. I had heard that using the deadlock to often can damage the key mechanism don’t know if that is an UL or actual fact. ---
**Author:** ![Khadro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Khadro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadro)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coming-soon-to-a-car-near-you/154695/7 "2003-02-13T01:34:24Z")
Well, I do not know how often would count towards “too often”, but I’ve been using it almost every day for a year now, and no ill effects. My car is parked on the street, outside a train station, for 10-11 hours of the day, in one of the worst areas for car theft in the state. I think I’ll risk the deadlock 🙂 And just to keep this little thing somehow related to the OP, I found, from [http://www.carkeys.co.uk/launch/LA000170.htm](http://www.carkeys.co.uk/launch/LA000170.htm) this little tidbit. > [@](#): > > Renault has launched the Megane with the same-style hands-free card entry system as introduced on the Laguna, providing automatic unlocking, locking and ignition, without worrying about keys or fumbling in the dark for the ignition. The card works whether in handbag or pocket, and the engine is fired by pressing a starter button.